by D L Lane
~
Seated at a table positioned in the corner of the wall of windows at Canlis with her handsome husband, Danica and he had an excellent view of Lake Union—all the boat lights lighting up the water like a dark mirror.
Danica slid one of the votive candles aside. “Thank you for this.”
“Don’t thank me. I have a lot to make up for.”
“So, this is a make-up dinner?”
“Sweetheart, I know I’ve been gone a lot. I’m sorry.”
“You have an important job. I get that. But I have been missing you.”
He reached and grabbed her hand. “No matter how busy I am, you and the babies are always on my mind.”
She glanced down. “I know, Marcus.”
“Danica, what’s wrong?”
Her head lifted, their gazes locking. “I know I said I didn’t need any help after the twins arrived, but I was wrong. I can’t do it all, and I think I need someone to come assist.”
His brow furrowed. “You want to hire a nanny?”
“Oh, no. Just someone who could come a few hours a week. Help me out around the house, maybe take care of the babies when I need to go out.”
“Doesn’t your family help when you go to your meetings?”
“They do, but it would be nice to perhaps run errands without packing the entire house to take the kids with me.”
He nodded. “If you need help, go ahead and hire someone.”
“Thank you, Marcus.” Danica’s shoulders lifted, a weight falling off them as she leaned over and placed a soft kiss to her husband’s lips.
“Doctor Harding?”
Danica turned to the sound of a lilting feminine voice.
“I thought that was you,” the young woman said, tucking some of the auburn strands of her long hair behind her ear.
“Yes, it’s me.”
She glanced at her husband, a strange smile on his face, the look of confusion on his brow.
“Well,” said the woman, “aren’t you going to introduce me to your lovely wife?”
He cleared his throat. “Ahem… Danica, this is—I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”
A little laugh rang around them. “I’m Rosland. Rosland Strickler.” She held out a hand that Danica shook. “I work at the hospital with your husband.”
“Oh… It’s nice to meet you.”
The shake stopped. “You as well. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?”
The woman’s burnt umber eyes slid to Marcus, a smile stretched across her attractive face. “He talks about you and your twins often.”
“What is it you do at the hospital?” Danica asked.
Marcus chimed in, drawing her gaze to him with, “Ms. Strickler is one of the new nursing staff in the cardiac unit.”
“Ah…”
One corner of Rosland’s mouth turned up. “I better leave you two to your evening. I just wanted to come by and say hi.”
“I’m happy you did.” Danica grinned.
“Yes,” Marcus said. “It was good seeing you.”
Once the nurse left, Danica gave her husband her full attention. “She seems nice.”
He shrugged. “I don’t really know her well other than to say she has a good bedside manner with the patients.”
“That’s important.”
“It is.” Marcus tapped his knuckles on the white tablecloth. “Where is our waiter?”
“I’m sure he will be here soon.”
His whiskey-colored eyes came to her. “Are those earrings new?”
She reached up and touched the right one with reverence. “No. I’ve had them forever.”
“I haven’t seen you wear them before?”
“I’m sure I’ve put them on a time or two.”
He squinted. “I don’t think so.”
“Huh,” she said. “I have a lot of jewelry, so maybe I haven’t. I don’t know.”
Chapter Fourteen
Before
Beep…beep…beep…
Grumbling, Gage rolled over and slapped his alarm clock, putting an end to the screeching beast, then scrubbed his palms down his face, hoping to go back to sleep for a little while, then froze. It was August 17th, his eighteenth birthday, which meant it was Danica’s sixteenth!
She can date, officially.
Wide awake now, he rolled out of bed. He’d take a quick shower, then head for Second Chances, the antique store, and pick up those earrings sitting in the display window she’d been admiring the other day.
Scratching his bare chest, he smiled. “She’ll love them, maybe hug me, and I’ll ask her out.”
~
Wrapping the little box with particular care, Danica grinned. When she saw the masculine ring sitting in the display window of Second Chances, she knew she needed to get it, regardless if buying it would wipe out every dollar from her babysitting funds.
“This was worth it.” She popped a red bow on the top of the shiny silver paper, figuring she’d build her savings up again, so it was no big deal.
Tap, tap, tap…
Shifting on her bed, she yelled, “Yeah?”
The door opened, and her father stuck his head inside. “You ready, Princess?”
“I guess so.”
“Well, come on then, or we’ll be late for your party at the Harrison’s.”
Ever since she was small, her parents, Mason’s folks, and Gage’s would take turns throwing her, Eddie Miller, and Gage a mutual birthday party since they were all born on the same day and were good friends. But this year, it was the Harrison’s turn to host.
Her heart fluttered.
Eddie wouldn’t be there since he hadn’t come home from college for the summer, so she and Gage would be the only two. And while people would surround them, something about the two of them sharing this day on their own seemed different. Intimate.
~
When the doorbell rang, Gage came bounding down the curved staircase, smiling when his father opened the door, letting the Lorry’s in.
“Samuel.” Dad patted the other man on the back. “Ella. Breckin, Mason, and Danica. My, don’t you look all grown up.”
Gage bounced his gaze over everyone, landing on Danny, who smiled at her father. She wore a little peachy sundress, the hem fluttering around her toned thighs, making him halt on the bottom rung.
“Gage!” Danny’s dad greeted, pulling him out of his stymied stupor. “Happy birthday, son.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Eighteen.” He shook his head. “I don’t know where the time has gone.”
“You and me both,” Gage’s father agreed before he said, “Come on out back by the pool. Our housekeeper will get the door for the rest of our guests, and we can relax, maybe have a cool drink.”
“Happy birthday, bro!” Mase stepped up to give him a fist bump.
“Thanks, man.”
“Happy birthday, Gage,” Breck echoed.
“Thank you.”
As the group trailed behind Gage’s father, Danica paused, glanced up at him, and said in an almost shy little voice. “Hi.”
“Hey.” He lifted his head in a nod. “You look nice.”
Her cheeks blushed. “Thank you.” She held out her hand, giving him a small, pretty box. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you. Happy birthday to you too.” He took the present, then grabbed her delicate wrist, taking her with him into the family room where the table of gifts was.
“What are you doing?”
Glancing over the festive packages, he grabbed the one he’d bought for her, then offered it up. “For you.”
“Aw…” she cooed, taking the gift. “The wrapping is so pretty.”
“I didn’t wrap it,” he admitted, heat meandering up his neck. “Mrs. Hollis did.”
“So, you got this from Second Chances?” Her smile widened.
“I did, why?”
Danny shook her head. “Great minds think alike, I guess.”
“Huh?”
“I got your gift there too.”
“Oh… That’s cool.” He grinned, pointing. “Well, go ahead and open it.”
“Now?” Her brows pulled down. “Maybe we should wait.”
He picked up the hand gripping the box he’d given her, lifting it. “Go on. I don’t want to wait.”
“Okay. But only if you open yours too.”
“Deal.”
The two of them started tearing off bows and shredding paper. Then came her gasp of breath.
Her “Oh…these are so beautiful,” accompanied Gage’s “Danny. This is—”
“Do you like it?” She asked.
“Yeah, it’s awesome.” He plucked the ring out of the box. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”
“Mrs. Hollis said it’s sterling silver and Koa Wood.” She took the ring from between his fingers. “I had it engraved. See?”
He read a flowing script of Gawonii, feeling as if his heart would explode. “This is really great.”
“Here.” She slipped the ring onto the hand that didn’t sport his class ring, but would one day hold a wedding ring. “It fits!”
“It does.” He reached for the 1920s art deco diamond and sapphire earrings. “Let me help you put these on.”
Stepping so close he could count every one of her long lashes, he was glad she hadn’t put earrings on that day.
With his heart pounding in his throat, Gage slipped the right post through her cute little lobe, then did the left, her hand covering his, trapping him in place as she looked up at him with eyes that said so much.
Tell her. She’s sixteen now. Tell her how you feel about her and ask her out. “Danica—”
“There you are!” His mother’s voice hit him in the back like a sledgehammer. “We’ve been looking for you two.”
The moment had shattered. Danny dropped his hand, backing away before he turned around to see his Mom’s furrowed brow.
“Did you already start opening presents?”
“Just the ones Danny and I exchanged with each other.” He shrugged, attempting to settle his body down.
Mom shook a manicured accusatory finger at him. “Gawonii Harrison, you should have waited.”
He went over and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Don’t be upset, Mommy,” he said, knowing that one last word would melt her, even though he was way too old to say it.
She reached up and cupped his face between her soft palms. “I’m not upset, my beautiful boy.”
Gage smiled as his mother’s gaze went to Danica. “Sweetie. You look lovely.”
“Thank you, Judge Harrison.”
His mother let loose of him then bent to kiss Danny’s cheek. “I’m not ‘Judge’ Harrison to you.” Once she straightened, she spun on her designer heels. “Come on, you two. We’d better greet our guests. We can’t very well have everyone waiting on the birthday kids, now can we?”
You’ll find the right time to tell Danny. This isn’t it. Be patient, Gage told himself as Mom led the way to the pool.
Chapter Fifteen
If there was one thing Gage disliked about his job, it was all the schmoozing—City Council meetings, fundraisers, various charity events. He’d never been the guy who loved to mingle, so sitting there with a plate of roasted chicken while at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon wasn’t on his top ten list of things to do. Except…
He looked at the person seated across the round table from him, who glanced up and smiled demurely, making a warm sensation spread within his chest.
While she wasn’t a business owner, she was a volunteer member, and since this was another one of the many town functions Danica attended, he supposed he could revise his ‘dislike’ items.
Pulling his attention from the woman who he didn’t need to be staring at, he caught Courtney Riddle giving Danny the evil eye until her focus bounced to him. She’d never liked Danica, probably petty jealousy due to the notice Danny garnered from the opposite sex back in the day, and still did. But no matter how much time had passed, he could see her smug face that night in the cabin with Matt Jordan, saying, “Since when did we become the designated babysitters of the perfect princess?”
Gage clenched his fist at the memory.
Clearly deciding she wasn’t going to win the scowling contest happening between the two of them, Courtney looked away.
John’s deep voice rang out with, “All right, thank you to everyone who took the podium here today,” and Gage tried not to sigh in relief at those words. He’d made it through the introductions of new and renewing members, guests, and visitors, a twenty-minute speech from the keynote speaker, Berta Collins, and thought perhaps it might be a short meeting. But no. Then, a ten-minute business/organization spotlight, a quick non-profit highlight, followed by any suggestions for next year's Founders Day, but now, John Donohue, the president of the chamber, was giving the final wrap up.
“Hope to see you all next month,” the man said, blessedly dismissing them.
The sound of people shuffling around as they rose from their seats, ready to exit the back event-room at The Snack Shack, mixed into his movements before Phillip Granger stopped him.
“Chief Harrison.”
His former classmate and teammate had used his official title instead of ‘Gage,’ so he knew whatever it was he had to say, it would be city business-related.
“Mayor, Granger,” Gage returned.
“Alderman Jordan would like to call a special meeting with the town council to discuss the necessity of adding to the budget.”
“Let me guess. To talk about the need for new vests?”
“You’ve got it.”
Gage sighed. “When and what time?”
“This Thursday. Seven p.m.”
“All right. I’ll see you there.”
“I’m sure this will be a short one,” Phillip said. “No one else believes the added expense to be ‘frivolous’.”
Gage nodded, the two of them shaking hands as their final farewell.
“Chief Harrison?”
The sweet feminine voice fell over him like a cool breeze of fresh air, though yet again, this greeting set the tone of the conversation to come.
Turning, he met Danica’s gaze. “Mrs. Harding. What may I do for you today?”
The corner of her spectacular mouth inched up, and if they’d been alone, he was positive she would have rolled her eyes at him. “Wendell,” she said. “He’s been at it again, only not relieving himself in front of the bar but in the sandbox at the park. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how disgusting and inappropriate that is, let alone unsanitary. Children play in that sand, and it shouldn’t be used as a litter box.”
Gage frowned. “I’ll take care of it.”
“You will?”
“Of course. I’m in total agreement with you.”
Her eyes widened. “You are?”
“Really, Danica? Did you think I would be all right with something like that?”
“Well, I don’t guess so.”
“Then, why do you look surprised?”
She shook her head. “I’m not.”
He lifted a brow but remained silent.
“I’m not,” she said, a little more emphatic.
The room had emptied, and he stepped a little closer to her, close enough to feel her body heat and breathe in her intoxicating scent. “Don’t try to lie to me. It hasn’t, doesn’t, and never will work, Danny.”
Her perfectly arched brows beetled down. “I’m not lying to you and never have.”
You’ve been doing it to yourself and to me for years, he thought but didn’t allow the words to escape his tongue.
Chapter Sixteen
Before
Gage watched the clock on the wall, that slow tick, tick, tick of the second hand as it inched closer to the last period bell. When class let out, he was going to find Danny and ask her over to his house to watch a movie.
Yeah, it was a Thursday, not the usual date nigh
t he supposed, but they had an out-of-town football game tomorrow night anyway. And, yes, he supposed he should probably take her out, like maybe to the theater or something, but he wanted to be alone with her so they could finally have ‘the talk’. Well, he was going to talk, let her know he wanted to go out with her—make Danica his girl—and Gage was ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure she wouldn’t turn him down.
He glanced at the ring she’d bought him for his birthday, curling his fingers, and recalled the tender expression on her face as she’d slipped it on him.
Okay, he was one-hundred-ten percent sure she wouldn’t turn him down.
After grabbing his Calculus book, Gage was out of his seat a second before the harsh, Brrring started, then through the metal door, breezing past his locker and heading to hers. For the past couple of weeks, every time he’d tried to talk with her, just one-on-one, they’d been interrupted. So, he was ‘seizing the moment’ as it were.
Getting to his destination, he didn’t see who he wanted to see. But sometimes Danny took her sweet time leaving, too busy chatting with J.J. and some of the others who hung around together; so even if he were late for their first after-school practice of the year, he’d wait for her. Running wind sprints ’till he dropped would be worth a tardy arrival.
Resting his shoulder against her locker door, he bobbed his head in greeting as some of his teammates and friends passed him in the hall—laughter and chatter becoming a buzz of sound. Then, he saw her, a smile on her face, listening to Granger as he talked, no doubt trying to pick her brain about Jillian.
Gage straightened up when she noticed him and grinned.
“I’ll talk to you later, Phillip,” she said, leaving him behind and hurrying over to where he stood.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hey. What are you doing?”
“I wanted to ask you something.” His heart was bang, bang, banging in his chest.
She blinked. “Okay. Ask.”
“Do you want to come over tonight and watch a movie? My parents are going to be in Seattle for some charity event, so it will just be the two of us,” he blurted out, not bothering to take a breath.
